Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

The ghost cat used to be a petite, quick-witted girl. But right now, she was like a zealot who had entered a devil's den. Her upside-down face was filled with confused flames. When she saw Li Yao and the grey mist lady enter, she stared at them and giggled.

"The final trial is coming. No one can escape the judgement of reincarnation. No matter how you struggle, you will only be misleading others. Give up, repent, and be saved!"

She narrowed her eyes, intoxicated by the so-called redemption. She was caught in the endless loop of her own logic and could not free herself.

Beside her stood a hunchbacked, sleazy man. His appearance was plain, but he had a pair of extremely large hands. His fingers were almost twice as long as those of ordinary people, and there was even an extra finger bone, giving the impression that there were two giant spiders on his wrists.

When he placed his hands on the temples of the ghost cat, his palms covered the ghost cat's head like an iron hat.

The man mumbled in the native language of Nanyang. A series of weird tattoos appeared on his arms, followed by what looked like venomous insects that were dancing weirdly on his arms as if the tattoos were alive.

Along with such a strange scene, Li Yao felt ripples coming from the palm of the ghost cat, which were similar to brainwaves.

In the blink of an eye, the ghost cat's eyes rolled back as its entire body started trembling violently, causing the iron chains to rattle chaotically.

The man seemed to have read a lot of information from the brain of the ghost cat. He mumbled in satisfaction, sometimes in a trance, and sometimes in a trance. His expression was quite similar to that of the ghost cat earlier.

While he was performing the technique, he was also staring at Li Yao. His eyes were half cold and half scorching, as if they were two daggers that were trying to dig out Li Yao's deepest secrets.

"They are interrogating the ghost cat."

Li Yao pondered for a moment and asked, "But why did you do that in front of me? To intimidate me?"

Li Yao rolled his eyes. He suddenly sensed that dozens of strong auras were hiding in the shadows around the warehouse. With the help of the dim lights, he could vaguely see that some fully-armed Awakened were either standing or sitting, touching their daggers, or fiddling with their guns. They were all staring at him in high alert.

Li Yao was dazed for a moment before he burst into fury.

"Wait—"

He asked solemnly, "Are you interrogating her or testing me?"

The weird-looking man with living tattoos on his arms finally finished the spell. He grinned and shook his head at the grey mist lady.

When the fan-like hands left the ghost cat's head, the female spy's eyes had already turned dead gray and were drooping down like a dead fish.

"I'm sorry. His name is 'Brainworm'. He is a mind reader in the organization."

The grey mist lady explained expressionlessly, "You know that, since she was sent by the Heaven's Origin Sector to the Ark Foundation as an undercover agent, she must've received special training. Normal interrogation methods won't work on her at all. However, the 'Brain Insect' has the ability to absorb brainwaves, which is a perfect counter for the Ghost Cats whose brainwaves are particularly developed.

"If you are really a spy sent by the Heaven's Origin Sector and your meeting with the ghost cat was just a show, the brainwaves of the ghost cat will definitely have subtle changes when it sees you walking in. The brain bug will definitely notice you.

"But as it turns out, the ghost cat didn't have any special reactions to you. It's true that you didn't know each other before—this is partly to prove your innocence and to build more trust for you.

"My patience has a limit!

Li Yao roared in a low voice, "Professor Zhang Jiashu, the patient in the 'mindspace', is the first test. Fighting the hunters in the rushing trains, floods, and mudslides is the second test. Now, he has been suspected by you and sent to the ghost cat for screening. This is the third test. What do you want exactly? Is it not enough?"

"Do you think it's enough?"

"Think about it in a different way," the grey mist lady replied. "If you are the leader of a secret organization such as the Ark Foundation, and you run into a mysterious man who has somehow awakened super abilities and might even become a 'super perceptive Cultivator' overnight, and who is involved in the center of the swirl by accident, how many tests do you think it will take to prove his innocence and let him enter the most secret nest of the organization, the leader who is of paramount importance for the organization at such a critical moment?"

While she was talking, the grey mist lady gestured to the depths of the warehouse. Immediately, two muscular men pushed an iron chair that looked like a surgical table to Li Yao along two rails on the ground.

"Four times."

The grey mist lady extended four fingers at Li Yao and said, "No matter how many tests you think it will take to prove the innocence of such a mysterious man, Red Pole believes that it will take four tests for him to be 100% sure of your identity before he lets you into the real 'Ark'."

"What's the meaning of this?"

Li Yao looked at the iron chair with an awful face. "What other tests do you want?"

"We hope to wake you up from your previous life.

In the darkness, a black-haired man wearing a white coat and gold-framed glasses walked over slowly. He slightly bowed to Li Yao and said with a smile, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am 'Traveler Dream'. Fellow Student Li Yao and Teacher Niu should have seen a lot of my posts on the net. You must be very interested in me, right?"

Li Yao was dazed for a moment. Then he realized that they must've talked to Zhang Daniu before they welcomed him. The guy must've been spineless and would tell everything without any coercion.

"I am responsible for every word I post on the network. I guarantee that every word is true. Even if it is not true, at least it is my true feelings.

Dream Traveler said, "However, what is not stated in the posts on the net is that I've been staying on the 'Ark' for the past month and received enlightenment and training from the Red Pole. My capability is much higher than before. Not only can I see my past life, I can also guide more awakeners to explore and discover their past lives.

"Student Li Yao, there's no need to be so nervous. Don't treat this as a test. Try to treat it as a special training session. This is a trip to the depths of your soul. Including Red Pole, we are all very curious. You have only awakened part of the hazy memory fragments of your previous life, yet you possess such powerful combat strength. If under my guidance, you can clearly recall your previous life, your previous life, and even the memories of dozens of reincarnations and inherit all your abilities, what kind of terrifying appearance will you reveal?

"This is what I want to do.

"In fact, guiding the awakeners to discover their past lives is a very exhausting task for me. If it were a monster between a 'finalist' and a 'super perceptive' such as yourself, I would have to take tremendous risks in order to help you find your true self. However, according to Red Pole, you and Master Niu are both indispensable pieces in the jigsaw puzzle. For the sacred mission and true freedom, I… will not regret it even if I die nine times!"

Dream Traveler stopped smiling and stared at Li Yao solemnly.

Li Yao pondered for a long time.

"What if I refuse?

He silently observed the positions of all the awakened ones in the warehouse. He did not even let go of the scent that was as weak as a zombie that was hiding in the deepest part of the darkness. In the blink of an eye, he drafted dozens of plans to break out of the siege in his mind and asked cautiously.

The grey mist lady and Dream Traveler looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

"Rest assured. It's not as bad as you think. There won't be any stupid things like 'silence'.

The grey mist lady said, "The most important reason is that we can't kill you. Even if you are heavily wounded, we will certainly pay a high price. Maybe two thirds of the thirty or so elite warriors lurking in this place will be killed. The war is drawing near. We can't afford such losses. This is the result of the Red Pole's personal evaluation.

"Therefore, even if you refused the last test, there was nothing we could do. There was no need to hurt you at all.

"However, as a result, you will not be able to go to the depths of the ocean with us to look for the 'Ark', nor will you be able to meet the real Red Pole. We will part ways here and leave you with sufficient assets, firearms, and local currency. Although the end of the world has come and the currency has become useless paper, I hope you understand that this is our limit.

Li Yao sniffed and said nothing.

It was true that he could have been angry at the other party's distrust and refused the multiple tests. He believed that both the 'Ark' and the 'apocalypse' would have to pay a terrible price to keep him.

However, since he had refused the test, the safety of his identity was still questionable. It was reasonable that the other party was not willing to take him to the ocean.

Li Yao hesitated. He did not like the feeling of suspicion and scrutiny.

"I'm not trying to convince you, Student Li Yao."

Dream Traveler opened his hands, indicating that he meant no harm. "However, before we part, Red Pole has a very strange message for you. 'No matter how discontented you are about the tests and the suspicions, no matter how wronged you are, and no matter how much you resent him, I hope that you can persist until the end. Because, as long as you awaken your past life's memories and discover your true identity, you will know that all the tests and suspicions are necessary. You may even be the one to blame for your own arrangements.'

"Well…"

Li Yao was baffled. "'Blame it on myself'. Did I arrange so many suspicions, checks, and tests? What is going on exactly?"

Although he was baffled, he somehow believed the nonsense in his mind.